The national unemployment rate was 8.8% for the February–April 2025 quarter (FMA 2025), according to information from the National Employment Survey (ENE), which is produced by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The unemployment rate increased 0.3 pp year on year, which was a result of the faster growth in the labour force (0.6%) than in employed persons (0.2%). In the same period, the increase in unemployed persons (4.3%) was influenced by the rises in the redundant (4.1%) and first-time job seekers (5.9%).

The participation rate fell 0.3 pp year on year to stand at 62.2%, and the employment rate fell 0.4 pp to stand at 56.7%. Meanwhile, the increases in the routinely inactive (1.3%) and inactive persons who are potentially active (3.1%) influenced the rise in the population outside the labour force (1.5%).

The unemployment rate for women increased 0.2 pp year on year to stand at 9.7%. The increase was due to the faster growth in the labour force (0.8%) than in employed women (0.5%). In the same period, the number of unemployed women increased 3.4% while the participation rate showed no variation year on year, remaining at 52.8%, and the employment rate fell 0.2 pp to stand at 47.6%. Meanwhile, the increase in women outside the labour force (1.0%) can be attributed to the growth in inactive persons who are potentially active and the routinely inactive.

The unemployment rate for men (8.2%) increased 0.4 pp year on year as a result of the growth in the labour force (0.4%) and the lack of variation in employed men. In the same period, the number of unemployed men increased 5.1% while the participation rate fell 0.4 pp to stand at 72.1% and the employment rate fell 0.7 pp to stand at 66.2%. The number of men outside the labour force (2.4%) was exclusively influenced by the routinely inactive.

Increase in employed persons

The increase in the estimated total number of employed persons (0.2%) can exclusively be attributed to the rise in women (0.5%) because the estimated number of employed men showed no variation.

By economic sector, the growth in the employed population was influenced by the rises in accommodation and food service (8.8%), education (4.3%), and financial and insurance activities (10.1%). By occupational category, the growth was influenced by the rise in formal wage earners (2.6%).

Labour informality

The informal employment rate fell 2.4 pp year on year to stand at 25.8%. The decrease in informally employed persons (-8.2%) was influenced by the falls in men (-8.0%) and women (-8.5%).

By economic sector, the decrease in the informally employed can mainly be attributed to the falls in commerce (-13.8%) and manufacturing (-13.9%). By occupational category, the decrease was influenced by the falls in own-account workers (-8.9%) and wage earners of the public sector (-22.7%).

Seasonality

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate (which eliminates the effects of exogenous seasonal factors of a non-economic nature that influence its current behavior) stood at 8.7%, an increase of 0.2 pp compared to the previous moving quarter.

Working hours and indicators of labour underutilization

The volume of work, as measured by the quantity of hours per week actually worked by employed persons, decreased 1.7% year on year, and the average number of hours worked fell 1.9% to stand at 36.5 hours. Men worked an average of 38.7 hours, and women worked an average of 33.6 hours.

The combined rate of unemployment and the potential labour force increased 0.4 pp year on year to stand at 16.8%. This indicator was 13.9% for men and 20.4% for women while the gender gap was 6.5 pp.

Metropolitan Region  

In the Metropolitan Region, the unemployment rate for the February–April 2025 quarter increased 0.3 pp year on year to stand at 9.5%. In the same period, the estimated total number of employed persons increased by 0.1%. By economic sector, the main influences on the increase in the employed were the rises in accommodation and food service (15.9%) and financial and insurance activities (16.9%).

See:

ENE National Bulletin 319: February–April 2025 (English translation)

ENE Metropolitan Region Bulletin 107: February–April 2025 (in Spanish)

ENE Statistical Note 37: February–April 2025 (in Spanish)